"You must come back to me"

Penny's words lingered in my head, like a song stuck in my brain, the same chorus replaying over and over again. It had been a couple days since we had deeply spoken about his long and awaiting sleep, and everyday he seemed to grow more and more tired. So much to the point that if someone were to come in and attack, I feared he wouldn't be able to protect me like he always did...like he had done countless times before.

"Will you be long?" I asked him with a soft voice. Penny lingered at the entrance of the tunnel, his shadow drawn perfectly onto the moist walls, like a beautiful painting.

He was to go hunting, something he did regularly, but lately I had become more attached, too much for my well being. Anytime he stood up or took a step, I would panic a little inside. I was so afraid I wasn't going to see him again, that he wouldn't come back home. I knew it was it stupid...but I didn't feel stupid under these circumstances.

"Depends on the prey" Penny responded as he looked at me with amber eyes, a simple sign that he was hungry... and ready.

"You know this" he said with a questioning and stern tone. I swallowed hard, not wanting to respond but knew I had to anyways.

"I'm scared" I said, trying to sound more confident than I really was.

"You know what that does to me" Penny joked. I looked at him with a serious face, trying not to crack a smile.

"I'll be back" he said simply before turning around and disappearing into the dark tunnels. I was left alone once again, with the occasional sound of water droplets hitting the floor being my only company.

I stood up slowly deciding I would do some exploring. I walked around, looking up at the empty sewer that once consisted of floating children. I don't know what penny had done with them, and I didn't want to know. I was just glad I didn't have to face that sadness every time I looked up.

Although the children were gone, the pile of treasures still laid neatly on the ground. A glimmering object caught my eyes as I made slow circles around the pile, inspecting it.

I bravely shot my arm out, reaching for the questionable object. At closer inspection, I realized it was a small toy boat. The base color was that of a tarnished white, the silver material it was made out of peeking through the rough scratches. The metal glistened under the soft sun rays that surrounded the lair, giving it that gleam that had caught my eye in the first place.

I wiped it off with the sleeve of my shirt, trying to clean it up as much as I could. After some serious wiping, the toy seemed somewhat presentable. I carried it back to the center of the lair where my bed laid. I placed it neatly next to my pillow, letting it decorate the sad area just a bit. I sat on the mattress, pulling my knees up to my chest, I let out a heavy sigh as I looked around the mass area.

This seemed to be a routine of mine for a couple of days now. I would just sit and wait for Penny to come back, literally. Months ago this would have been as boring as watching paint dry, but lately under the circumstances, every second felt like an eternity waiting for Penny to come home.

Home.

I knew this place wasn't my home. No human being could live comfortably under town sewers. Once Penny was gone, I would be all alone here. I'd have to find my own way out and survive all on my own. So I had decided that once Penny's eyes fluttered closed, I would reorganize my whole life. I would get back to school, back to living in an appropriate home and becoming social with my friends and family once again. But until then, all I did was wait.

Wait for him to come home...

After a couple of long hours, I could finally hear the faint sound of bells jingling come from within the tunnel. I stood up, preparing to greet Penny.

My eyes widened at the sight of a blood drenched Penny as he walked into view. He looked physically exhausted as he took in heavy breaths. His arms hung neatly by his side as he looked at me through tired eyes. His mouth and front chest area was completely covered in fresh blood from his recent kill.

For a second I felt myself panic a bit. Just the sight of his animalistic and monstrous side took a small toll on me. I didn't know if he was still in predatory mode, ready to attack me or any living thing that was within reach at any second.

"Penny?" I spoke out softly, trying to cut through the dense tension in the room. He didn't respond and instead continued to breathe heavily as he stood at the entrance of the tunnel staring at me.

That's when it hit me.

How crazy it was. How everything seemed so out of the ordinary and how it really was. Penny was something everyone feared, what everyone steered away from and yet here I was, standing in front of him calling out his name like a lover. Holding his creation inside of me, afraid to let go of him. The way his name slipped out from within my lips felt like silk slipping onto my skin. It was so effortless, almost instinctive.

Even covered in blood, even knowing the fact that someone had just lost their lives to him, I could look at him all day and feel like I was on top of the world. After everything we had gone through, I felt the safest around him. Around us.

"You're going to leave me" I said trying not to choke on my words. I knew we had talked about this countless times before but every time felt like the first time we were discussing it and it always hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart felt heavier every single day, almost to the point where I thought I would drown in my own sorrow.

I was afraid.

Afraid that without him here, I wouldn't know what time of day it was. I would be completely lost. Everything would feel out of place and dark. I wouldn't smile the same, cry the same or even breathe the same. My name would feel different when other people called it. I'd begin to like gloomy days, and hate the sunny ones. The sound of laughter would taunt me but the sensation of tears would soothe me. I wouldn't be the same, never the same. I would be a completely different person.

Penny would wake up to a completely different person.

I'll hang a portrait of him on all my walls. Yes that's exactly what I'll do. Maybe then I'd feel less alone. Everywhere I looked I would just see him because that's all my mind would think about anyways. I wouldn't wake up to lonely mornings if I kept him on my mind constantly. I would dig deep, deep into my memories and pull out every single one, even if it hurt me. I would even pull out the bad ones because that would be better than nothing. Because I would rather have the darkest sides of him, than not have him at all.

I would tell people about the crazy things I've been through, so when they gave me weird looks, I'd know it was real all along. If I pretended that all of this was crazy, I wouldn't have to pretend that none of this was real. I'd be called crazy, insane, lonely, and maybe they were right, maybe I was. But the one thing they couldn't take from me, the one thing I knew I didn't have to reassure myself of was the fact that I was in love.

Deeply in love.

I'd think about him all day, so that I could dream of him at night. I'd relive every single memory I had with him countless times and never grow bored. Even if it wasn't the best of situations. Because one thing was for sure.

I would rather have to relive the darkest of times with him...

Than have nothing at all...